In the US today, disposable diapers are one of the most popular products in the market. Even though they are convenient, it can still provide some drawbacks to the environment which can be dangerous at times. Not only can it contribute to the enormous landfill that we have today but it can also cause some serious health risks to people as well. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, an average of 20 billion disposable diapers is contributed into landfills every year which accounts for more than 3 million tons of waste.
Natural Resources
It was found out that 200,000 trees are being cut down in the US alone each year in order to manufacture disposable diapers. Additionally, 3.4 billion gallons of fuel oil are needed each year to produce disposable diapers. To sum it all up, disposable diapers require 20 times more raw materials, three times more energy, and two times more water for its manufacturing compared to the traditional baby cloth diapers. Apart from taking a whole lot from our natural resources, manufacturing these disposable diapers also requires non-renewable energy sources.
Chemicals
According to a case study published by the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia, it was found out that disposable diapers emit volatile organic chemicals. Toxic chemicals which include ethylbenzene, toluene, dipentene, and xylene are all linked to the developing health effects in humans that have been exposed long to it. Even the inner absorbent layers of disposable diapers also contain chemicals wherein it can trigger some allergic reactions to your little one. Additionally, these diapers may sometimes contain dioxin and dyes wherein they are formed as a by-product of the chlorine bleaching process. If you must know, dioxin is a carcinogen wherein it is known to cause cancer. Once these chemicals are released into the environment, the toxins it emits can inflict both humans and animals.
Landfills
Of course, disposable diapers usually begin the decomposing process once it is exposed to sunlight and oxygen but they do not degrade that well when they’re in a landfill. These tons of untreated waste from the disposable diapers that are added to the landfill every year can easily contaminate ground water. Also, any forms of viruses that are part of the baby’s feces can easily leak in the water supplies. Just know that landfills are known for their reputation in producing greenhouse gas emissions wherein it is a major contributor to the climate change that’s happening right now. The decomposition process of disposable diapers can release methane into the air and high concentrations of this gas can be fatal.
Now that you know the dangers that disposable diapers can do to our environment, it’s time to give it up and go for the much greener choice which is the cloth diapers. Through this, not only will you take part in saving the environment but also make your baby happy and risk-free.
from Cute Cloth Diapers - News http://ift.tt/1QbkgIE
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